Rick and Morty
– Pocket Like You Stole It
Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It cover
Date
  • July 5, 2017 (Part 1)[1][2][3]
  • August 16, 2017 (Part 2)[4][5]
  • September 13, 2017 (Part 3)[6]
  • October 18, 2017 (Part 4)[7]
  • November 22, 2017 (Part 5)[8]
No. of issues5
Main charactersPlain "Evil" Morty of C-594
Pocket Rick
PublisherOni Press
Creative team
WritersTini Howard[9][10][11]
ArtistsMarc Ellerby[12]
LetterersCrank!
ColouristsKaty Farina[13]
CreatorsJustin Roiland
Dan Harmon
EditorsAri Yarwood[14]
Hillary Thompson
Original publication
Published inRick and Morty
ISBN978-1-6201-0416-3
Chronology
Preceded byPocket Mortys (video game)
Followed by"Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind" (episode)

Rick and Morty & The Pocket Mortys in: Pocket Like You Stole It!, marketed simply as Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It and Pocket Mortys – Pocket Like You Stole It, is a limited series graphic novel, written by Tini Howard, illustrated by Marc Ellerby, and colored by Katy Farina, which was published in five parts in 2017 by Oni Press, as an adaptation of Pocket Mortys, a Pokémon-inspired free-to-play role-playing video game set in the Rick and Morty franchise by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.[15][16][17][18][19] Part 1, Horrible Freedom, was released on July 5; Part 2, Collect Yourself and Move On, was released on August 16; Part 3, Crisis on Infinite Dads!, was released on September 13; Part 4, Tama-Gotchya!, was released on October 18; and Part 5, F**ck-Save!, was released on November 22 (all in 2017). Each issue of the series was published with a collection of Pocket Mortys trading cards,[20] with characters created exclusively for the series later being made available as playable characters in the Pocket Mortys video game.[21]

The series is notable for featuring a possible origin story for "Evil Morty",[22] an alternate version of Morty Smith and the perennial antagonist of the first five seasons of the Rick and Morty television series, receiving a generally positive critical reception. The series' name is a reference to the Gary Clark song "Drive It Like You Stole It", from the soundtrack of the 2016 Irish coming-of-age comedy-drama film Sing Street.[23]

Overview

Based on the same multiple timeline concept as described in the Rick and Morty first season episode "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind" and the video game Pocket Mortys.[24] Pocket Like You Stole It is set in the plains surrounding the original Citadel of Ricks, where alternate 'wild' versions of Morty Smith are collected by versions of their grandfather Rick (of a human-like species of "Pocket Ricks", separate from the human Rick of the television series),[25] who battle them against one another with a variety of 'Trainers' in the form of Ricks, one Jerry-training Beth Smith and several supporting characters,[26] with the series following the story of Plain (later "Evil") Morty Smith of C-594 as he seeks to free all other versions of himself from servitude.[27]

Premise

Part One: Horrible Freedom

Part Two: Collect Yourself and Move On

Morty thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he stumbles upon a secret Morty haven, run by Crazy Cat Rick. All the food and cozy body pillows he could want! But he soon discovers that there’s a dastardly reason that the Mortys are so docile, and stumbles upon the grand secret of Morty battling.[28]

Part Three: Crisis on Infinite Dads!

Aw gee, Morty’s on his way to stop the Council of Ricks! Morty battling just isn’t right, and we’ve gotta stop it! That is, until he gets stopped by Beth, and her team of Pocket Jerries! Swimming Jerry! Wizard Jerry! Buff Jerry! They’re all here, and they’re all out to stop Morty![29]

Part Four: Tama-Gotchya!

CAPTURED ONCE MORE! Morty is back in Rick's clutches… but could he be an ally in the fight against the Council of Ricks? Maybe! Or maybe he just wants to see Morty fight a bunch of other Mortys on the way. We'll find out![30]

Part Five: F**ck-Save!

Development

In December 2016, a comic book adaptation of the Pokémon-inspired role-playing video game Pocket Mortys was announced to be in development at Oni Press, who previously published the Rick and Morty ongoing comic series.[15] Titled Pocket Like You Stole It, the limited-run series, written by Tini Howard, illustrated by Marc Ellerby, and colored by Katy Farina, would see "cut to the bleak truth of what [Pokémon] actually means",[15] and be released July 5, 2017 (after a free preview would be included in the Free Comic Book Day issue of Rick and Morty on May 6, 2017).[15] Described as having "cinematic" art, with "every shot [being] full of hilarious background Mortys" inspired by Where's Wally? (in excess of 300 an issue[18]), and named in reference to the Gary Clark song "Drive It Like You Stole It", from the soundtrack of the 2016 Irish coming-of-age comedy-drama film Sing Street, the series follows the evolution of "a plain ol’ Morty" from "our Pikachu" into (President) "Evil Morty", the perennial antagonist of the first five seasons of the Rick and Morty television series, "fight[ing] in the name of his Mortimer brethren",[17][18] with each individual issue containing trading cards inspired by Magic: The Gathering.[18]

Reception

Issue # Publication date Critic rating Critic reviews Ref.
1 July 2017 8.0/10 6 [31]
2 August 2017 8.0/10 3 [32]
3 September 2017 8.5/10 2 [33]
4 October 2017 8.0/10 1 [34]
5 November 2017 8.5/10 1 [35]
Overall 7.0/10 14 [36]

Keenan McClelland of Geek.com complimented the "whole theme [of the series] as feel[ing] as if the world of Pokémon joined forces with Battle Royal[e]", with the "jokes in PLYSI [being] just as funny as the ones in the television series, and at times more-so", and the "interactions also feel[ing] genuine and right out of the show", in particular complimenting "Howard['s] fantastic job [in] beautifully convey[ing] the characters for who they are" in writing, and Ellerby's and Farina art style as being "as solid as ever[…] all about laying low from the hunter, as if they’re retelling a bad installment from The Hunger Games".[20] Patrick Hayes of SciFiPulse.Net similarly lauded the series, calling it a "nice twist on the beloved videogame/trading card franchise, [with] art [as] good as the series with plenty of quick visual jokes".[37] Jesse Schedeen of IGN similarly described the series as "an enjoyable addition to Oni's growing Rick and Morty library", with the series "captur[ing] the look, feel and general sense of humor of the show while also offering a different perspective on the mobile gaming source material" Pocket Mortys, providing "a goofy but bleak little misadventure that feels worthy of the source material[…] basically Lord of the Flies mixed with the bizarre, nihilistic sense of humor the show is known for" instead of "attempt[ing] a straightforward adaptation of the game", in particular praising the characterisation of the series' main Morty as "an amusing protagonist, one who's laughably pathetic yet rendered just well enough that the reader can't help but root for him", with "the most interesting aspect of this series [being] the way [that] Rick is painted as such an overt villain".[38]

Denis Varkov of Kanobu praised the series' writing for subverting expectations of "a comic based on a game based on a TV series" in always "find[ing] a way to surprise you", complimenting Marc Ellerby's art as "the best of the artists of the main series[,] whose style is deliberately close to what [is seen] in the [television] series.[39] Robbie Pleasant of Multiversity Comics meanwhile complimented the evolution of Plain Morty to Evil Morty and his "violent outbreak against the [original] Council of Ricks [a]s a nice callback to the occasional outbursts the show has given [Morty Prime]; [that] it's clear that Tini Howard watched the show more than enough to get the little details and drives behind the characters [and their] multiple multiversal variants of most of the characters, [whom] Howard gives [l]ittle differences that help them stand apart", further praising the art of Marc Ellerby as "manag[ing] to capture the character designs and overall look of the show in comic form nicely", with Katy Farina’s color work "providing a bright, appropriately cartoon-like look to the comic", with their collectively being "some nice moments where the art really adds an impact to the story[…] really com[ing] together to create amusing moments". Pleasant further complimented the series' ending as "the perfect note to end the comic on, very true to the tone and philosophy of the series", although feeling that "overall it doesn't reach the full potential that a “Pocket Mortys” story could be.[40]

Rebecca Henley of WomenWriteAboutComics comparatively compared the series to writer Tini Howard's previous miniseries Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Pink from Boom! Studios, with both series "really indulged a fan’s need to just see the [characters] do cool stuff." Further, Henley expanded that "loath as I am to be a reviewer swayed by references, I love how this comic decided that if putting Mortys in Pokémon were fun, seeing them in other caretaking games must be equally fun[:] Mortys in Neko Atsume[,] Mortys in Farmville [and] a hand-held Tamagotchi, praising artist Marc Ellerby's "big-eyed, colorful Mortys" and colorist Katy Farina for "mak[ing] the art pop while having enough desaturation not to seem overly cute", concluding the series to be "an entertaining graphic novel [that] plays around with the concept of the video game [Pocket Mortys] without just replicating it, [and] has a lot of cool riffs on other mobile/casual games[…] just on the side of Rick and Morty’s sick sense of humor without getting too bleak, [with] art [that] is unique but works for the series".[41] A. Corentin of Just Focus praised the "visual humor" and "very funny" situations of the series, and how "the authors manage[d] to make the reader laugh on every page" and embracing the "atmosphere" of the Rick and Morty television series.[42]

Collected editions

Title Material collected Published date ISBN
Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It (Trade Paperback) Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #1–5 and Rick and Morty #18. March 21, 2018 978-1620104743
Rick and Morty Book 4: Deluxe Edition Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #1–5, Rick and Morty #26–30, cover art, and Pocket Mortys trading card gallery. August 13, 2019 978-1620105948

References

  1. ↑ Schwarz, John (January 23, 2017). ""Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It" To Get First-Look – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ Kaldor, David (July 6, 2017). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #1 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ Nevin, Will (February 10, 2017). "Steering the good ship S.S. 'Rick and Morty' through comic waters: Oni Press Managing Editor Ari Yarwood on two years, 20-plus issues of sci-fi insanity". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  4. ↑ Schwarz, John (August 16, 2017). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #2 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ Oni Press Inc. (August 16, 2017). "Rick & Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #2 (of 5) Kirkland Variant". Previews World. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ Schwarz, John (September 13, 2017). "Comic Review: Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #3 (of #5) – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ Schwarz, John (October 18, 2017). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #4 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  8. ↑ Schwarz, John (November 22, 2017). "Comics Review: Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #5 – Bubbleblabber". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  9. ↑ Butler, Will (July 5, 2017). "A Rick and Morty comic based on Pocket Mortys game is out now". NME. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Coppa-Cross, Kyle (October 20, 2017). "The Melbourne Toy and Comic-Con returns to Brevard". Florida Today. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  11. ↑ Allen, Todd (July 5, 2018). "Oni Reveals Its San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Merchandise and Panel Schedule (Plenty of Rick and Morty)". Comics Beat. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ Nevin, Will (April 28, 2017). "The majesty, magic and occasional *urrp* misery of working in the 'Rick and Morty' world: An artists' roundtable". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Sarah Graley: I can't think of anything in particular –– y'all are good by me. I think generally speaking though, comics just take a long time to make for something that is consumed so quickly, so I tend to read comics pretty slowly 'cos I'm trying to drink up all that artwork as I go along. It's a weird medium. I guess animators have it worse in that respect though, haha[…] Marc Ellerby: Yeah, I concur with Sarah: Comics are super laborious to work on but such a breeze to read. In the most recent issue of "Pocket Like You Stole It" I handed in, I drew Jerry 195 times –– it drove me mad. I mean it was worth it because, man, I love that Jerry, but you can bet your butt people aren't going to be spending 195 minutes looking at all those Jerrys. Maybe not even 195 seconds. SOB. If we're talking process, it usually takes me a working day to rough out an issue. Inking's a breeze; I've never had that many revisions to do. I guess pencilling is the part where I slow down, not just when I'm drawing Jerry 195 times, but because that's where I do all my thinking –– my pencils are tighter than everyone else's (I think?), but my brain's not wired to skip a step and do it on the fly with the inks.
  13. ↑ Rudd, Stefania (August 5, 2017). "10 Things Concerning 'Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It', by Howard, Ellerby, and Farina". Doom Rocket. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ Nevin, Will (February 17, 2017). "Playing in a comic intergalactic sandbox: Talking with the creative team of 'Rick and Morty'". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Holub, Christian (December 16, 2016). "'Rick and Morty' comic will be based on mobile game 'Pocket Mortys'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ Plante, Corey (June 23, 2017). "New 'Rick and Morty' Comic Explores How Horrific Pokémon Is". Inverse. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Franco, Bob (June 23, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It: Creative Team Interview". ComicsVerse. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Nevin, Will (September 7, 2017). "GO. FIGHT...MORTY? Talking with the team behind 'Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It'". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  19. ↑ Schlesinger, Alex (November 14, 2021). "Rick and Morty Exposed the Horrifying Reality of Pokémon". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  20. 1 2 McClelland, Keenan (July 5, 2017). "Buy This Comic! Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It". Geek.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  21. ↑ Hendricks, Keith (November 21, 2017). "November 22nd Oni Previews: Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #5, Invader Zim #25, Made Men #3". NerdSpan. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  22. ↑ Howard, Tini; Ellerby, Marc. Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It Part Five: F**ck-Save! Oni Press. November 22, 2017. "Musclebot: Yɪᴘᴘɪᴇ Kɪ Yᴀʏ Morty: What is this? Riq V: It's Musclebot! Morty: Musclebot? You're not going to tempt me to fight anything, Rick. Riq V: It's Riq. Riq V. And this is Musclebot. He's not gonna fight you, despite what he thinks. Musclebot: Yᴏᴜ Fᴇᴇʟ Lᴜᴄᴋʏ Pᴜɴᴋ Dᴏ Yᴀ Riq V: He's here so you can get all your bullcrap action star dialogue out of your system––gestures to tank, labelled "Evil Morty of C-594"––before we put you in your tank. Morty: I'm not Evil M–– Musclebot: Gᴇᴛ Tᴏ Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏᴘᴘᴀ Morty: …Y-Y-Y'know what? Sure. I'll be whatever you think I am."
  23. ↑ Howard, Tini (August 13, 2019). Rick and Morty Book 4: Deluxe Edition — Introduction "When I turned in [my] pitch, I called it Pocket Like You Stole It [like the song] as a joke. But it made me laugh, and taught me the first rule of writing — if it's dumb enough to make someone laugh, you've connected with them. The rest is all blips and chitz, baby."
  24. ↑ Minor, Jordan (2016-01-19). "Pocket Mortys (for iPad) Review & Rating". PCMag.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  25. ↑ Gaudette, Emily (January 20, 2016). "How To Get The Most Out Of The 'Rick and Morty' Mobile Game 'Pocket Mortys'". Inverse. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Pocket Mortys Review - Reviews - The Escapist". The Escapist.
  27. ↑ Holub, Christian (May 5, 2017). "6 comics not to miss on Free Comic Book Day 2017". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  28. ↑ Cappelli, Tim (August 20, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #2". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  29. ↑ Cappelli, Tim (September 11, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #3". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  30. ↑ Cappelli, Tim (October 16, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #4". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #1 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #2 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #3 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #4 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It #5 Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Rick and Morty – Pocket Like You Stole It (2017) Reviews". ComicBookRoundup.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  37. ↑ Hayes, Patrick (July 8, 2017). "In Review: Rick and Morty: Pocket It Like You Stole It #1". SciFiPulse.Net. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  38. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (July 5, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Pocket It Like You Stole It #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  39. ↑ Varkov, Denis (November 29, 2017). "Rick and Morty Comics. What to read in anticipation of Season 4?". Kanobu. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  40. ↑ Pleasant, Robbie (November 23, 2017). ""Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It" #5". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  41. ↑ Henely, Rebecca (April 5, 2018). "Gotta Catch "Pocket Mortys: Pocket Like You Stole It"". WomenWriteAboutComics. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  42. ↑ Corentin, A. (June 14, 2020). "Review: "Rick & Morty: Pocket Mortys: Submit 'Em All"". Just Focus. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
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